Mr. Speaker, after weeks of pressure from the NDP, yesterday the Liberals announced that they were reversing their plans to eliminate two important marine programs. I want to thank all those across B.C. who reached out and spoke up. Together we were able to turn the tide. However, there is much more we can do and need to do. For example, the salmon run in the Somass River is down from 1.3 million last year to only 170,000 this year.

What is the government going to do to provide immediate support for this vital B.C. resource and those who depend on it?

Terry BeechLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries

Mr. Speaker, our government understands that wild salmon are the lifeblood of the west coast, which is why our government is investing significantly in managing and restoring our wild Pacific salmon stocks.

In addition to our continued support for the salmon enhancement program, we have announced a new $75-million coastal restoration package, as part of our $1.5-billion oceans protection plan, and a further $1.4-billion investment as a result of the department's recent comprehensive review. This means more evidence-based decision-making, more scientists, more habitat restoration, and more community partnerships.

We are committed to ensuring that our wild salmon thrive for the benefit of our communities and our future generations.

Mr. Speaker, last year the NDP introduced a motion calling on the government to reinstate the perishable agricultural commodities act. Since this was a Liberal campaign promise, growers across Canada were deeply disappointed when it did not happen. The agriculture committee also unanimously urged the minister to implement a payment protection model, but we still have not heard anything.

When will the Liberals take action for our farmers and growers across Canada, do as they promised, and reinstate PACA?

Mr. Speaker, the question is about the perishable agricultural commodities act. It was a Liberal promise to reinstate it. It has not been reinstated, despite calls from growers, the NDP, and the agriculture committee.

When will the Liberals take action and reinstate the perishable agricultural commodities act?

Mr. Speaker, I would like to ask the minister about the CRA's new tax grab on small businesses like campgrounds and self-storage facilities. However, she will just stand up and once again completely insult small businesses by saying they need to start paying their fair share. Then she will falsely claim that the Liberal government has not changed the tax rules.

Is she really that incompetent, or has she finally checked her facts, realized that she is totally wrong, and changed her talking points?

Kamal KheraLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, our government is firmly committed to ensuring that every Canadian pays their fair share of taxes. We continue to support small and medium-sized businesses from coast to coast to coast, because we recognize that they are the backbone of our economy. Our commitment to tax fairness is at the core of our mandate, and our government will continue to support small and medium-sized businesses.

It is almost like I predicted what she was going to say. Now I think the Liberals will next claim that we failed to act on it somehow.

Mr. Speaker, our Conservative government conducted a review of this issue in 2015, but those Liberals cancelled that review then immediately came out with a new interpretation of the rules, and small businesses started receiving huge new tax bills. They even ignored a finance committee report that recommended that these rules be fixed. It seems the only thing the Liberals are not ignoring is another attempt to punish small businesses.

Will the Liberals stop this war on small businesses, or will the minister just get up again and tell them they are not paying their fair share?

Kamal KheraLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue

Mr. Speaker, I would like to remind the member opposite that when his party was in government, it held consultations with stakeholders and decided not to move forward on such legislative change.

We continue to support our small and medium-sized businesses from coast to coast to coast, because they are the backbone of our economy. Our commitment to tax fairness is at the core of our mandate, and our government will continue to support small and medium-sized businesses.

Mr. Speaker, once these small businesses have gone bankrupt, I am sure the Liberals will be handing out subsidies to them.

Nathan has a small farm in my riding. In order to make ends meet, he works for other farmers in the area. One of the farmers he works for happens to be his dad. Liberal changes to the small business tax credit mean that arm's-length organizations that exist within farm families must share one small business tax credit. This means that Nathan and his dad must now decide how they will divide their small business tax credit.

Why are the Liberals using the tax code to hurt farm families like Nathan's?

Bardish ChaggerLiberalLeader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Small Business and Tourism

Mr. Speaker, this government is committed to supporting our job creators, which are small businesses. We made a commitment to Canadians that we will help our small businesses grow through innovation and trade, and that is exactly what we are doing. We know that when it comes to the products and services our small businesses offer in this country, not only are they good for Canadians, they are good for the world. Small businesses are in communication with us every day. We listen to the very real challenges they are facing. We need them to be able to grow to create the jobs Canadians need. We will continue to support our small businesses.

Mr. Speaker, I, like many of my colleagues, hear regularly about three issues: a strong evolving economy that leverages Canada's skills, trade, and expertise; a strong, vibrant commitment to the protection of the environment, where innovation creates good jobs; and a strong, clear plan that ties together innovation, infrastructure, and the environment where the next generation economy works for all Canadians.

Mr. Speaker, the low-carbon economy fund will support the best and most innovative ideas to reduce our emissions for the good of our children and grandchildren and will create good jobs. This will support projects that will make our homes and buildings more efficient, help companies innovate and access technologies to reduce their emissions, and help the forest and agriculture sectors enhance their capacity to capture carbon and to reduce emissions. I am excited to move forward on this key pillar in supporting our pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change. It is about a more sustainable and cleaner future for our kids and grandkids.

Mr. Speaker, speaking of job creation, the National Optics Institute wants to partner with the government to spur the creation of innovative, prosperous new businesses in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Quebec.

David LamettiLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation

Mr. Speaker, we supported the National Optics Institute last year in the 2016 budget. We will continue to invest in innovative industries across the country. We created 250,000 jobs in the past six months. The previous government never even came close to those numbers. Our track record is fantastic and is going to get even better.

Mr. Speaker, with the new changing economy and moving toward the knowledge-based digital economy, we need to make sure we have the talent needed to compete in the global economy. We need to focus on our young people and make sure they have the necessary knowledge and skills to compete and succeed in the new economy.

Can the parliamentary secretary please explain what steps the government is taking to ensure that young people are ready for the economy of today and tomorrow?

David LamettiLiberalParliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation

Mr. Speaker, we are working hard to ensure that Canadians have the necessary skills to fully participate in the new digital economy.

Wednesday, I was delighted to join the minister and a bunch of kids from Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa who were here in Ottawa to launch CanCode, which over the next two years will give 500,000 students from kindergarten to grade 12 the opportunity to learn in-demand skills, especially encouraging young women, indigenous Canadians, and other under-represented groups.

We are investing in our young people today to ensure that they are ready to meet the—

Mr. Speaker, Jasper National Park, one of Canada's major tourist destinations, has been devastated by the pine beetle infestation. Much of the forest is dead or dying. The dead trees are a tremendous fuel load that present a significant risk to the community of Jasper.

Residents are concerned for their own safety and that of the visitors, and the security of their homes. There is a high risk of wildfire fuelled by a forest, devastated by the pine beetle. Have the Liberals put a plan in place to protect this park?

Mr. Speaker, the Government of Quebec is calling on Ottawa to give it five of the 25 federal ports on the St. Lawrence. It is a good idea because when it comes to maintaining ports the Canadian government is not only negligent, it is utterly irresponsible. This is another example of what Quebec has to pay to be part of Canada.

Will Ottawa hand over the ports that Quebec is asking for and transfer the $100 million it will take to repair this infrastructure after the mess it left them in?

Mr. Speaker, we are very proud of our collaboration with the Province of Quebec, especially because of its maritime strategy. In fact, I spoke with Minister Jean D'Amour and Premier Couillard about the idea of divesting the ports. As hon. members know, they announced that they would be interested in five ports. Negotiations will get under way soon. The federal and provincial governments will be working on this together; I am sure that it will be a good partnership.

Mr. Speaker, that is another meaningless answer. Through the infrastructure bank, the Government of Canada can exempt the financial world from the laws of Quebec. Environmental protection, farmland, city planning: nothing is sacred. Quebeckers are being put in their place. Toronto is making the decisions. For weeks, the Liberals have been telling us that this is not their intention. If the Canadian government does not intend to deliver Quebec up to Toronto bankers, why does it not amend Bill C-44?